


The Witch's Tricks

by MsFaust



Series: Inky Tales [98]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: AU Spinoffs, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rated for safety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-03-18 09:45:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13679196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/pseuds/MsFaust
Summary: A set of stories involving a little witch Toon named Greta. Some are based on canon, others on alternate universes (albeit modified as necessary with regards to the safety list).Note: Unless otherwise specified, none of these explicitly take place in the same universe.





	1. Imbolc

**Author's Note:**

> Most of these verses are derived from/connected to the one in Serendipity (Chapter 50 of Drops of Reality).  
> If not otherwise specified, these stories may take place in a verse derived from any other existing one, whether said verse is created by me or someone else. (Said verse may be modified to comply with the safety list.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Greta after Sillyvision's glory days?

While Bendy was the main character of his show, Greta turned out to be even more popular than anyone expected. People loved the sweet little witch, including her voice actress. Susie's heartbreak over losing the role of Alice Angel had been swiftly remedied by the switch. In fact, it was much like she'd gone through a nasty breakup, only to find somebody new almost immediately.

So when Sillyvision shut down, Greta's fate seemed worryingly uncertain. Fortunately, another animation company called Joyworks persuaded Joey to sell them the rights. When Susie learned of the deal, she insisted on being allowed to continue voicing Greta. To her delight, Caleb Lamb, Joyworks' music director, didn't take much convincing.

And so Greta got a cartoon of her own, one that propelled her to the level of Mickey Mouse and friends. Thanks to the Wondrous Witch, Joyworks succeeded where Sillyvision had failed.

It didn't take long for Susie to realize that she had been right about going places, even if it wasn't with Alice. And when Magic and Melodies received its first Annie Award, she felt like a proud mother. Maybe a foster mother, since she wasn't Greta's original voice actress, but Greta was still her baby.


	2. Ostara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How I imagine Greta would show up in canon.

As Henry clutched the railing, he couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten to this point. Despite all the pain, all the close calls, and all the near-death experiences, it still felt like a nightmare. Part of him still desperately hoped that he would soon wake up.

Yet, in his heart, he knew he had to keep going. Boris could still be alive.

So far, the wolf was the only living being here who was on his side. At first, he'd wondered if Boris had once been human, but apparently, most of his friends had been smart enough to stay away from the studio after it closed down. Sammy had been the only exception, as far as he knew.

(Norman could have been lured back as well, but he wasn't sure he wanted to get close enough to the Projectionist to find out.)

His fingers began to lose their grip. Finally, he let go, feeling himself tumbling once again. Shutting his eyes, he waited for the end.

It didn't come.

He opened his eyes, to find himself suspended in the air, surrounded by a white glow. It felt as if something invisible were holding him up. Flipping over, he found himself looking at a living version of Greta the Witch, perched on a broom with her wand pointed at him. Seated behind her was Sammy, who appeared to be halfway between his inky form and his old self.

"I've got you," she called, lowering the broom down to Henry's level. "Pull him on, Sammy!"

The inky man did so, reaching down and grabbing hold of Henry under the arms to hoist him onto the broom.

"Forgive me for earlier," he said. "The Witch has explained everything to me. I understand you are a friend of my Lord."

"And he doesn't mean that monster," Greta added. "He means the real Bendy." She slipped her wand into hammerspace and took hold of the broom with both hands.

"Hang on tight!"


	3. Beltane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time for Joey to fulfill his end of the bargain approaches, and he needs to make sure the Toons are in safe hands.

It had finally happened, as they had all suspected it would. The studio was closing its doors. Fortunately, Joey had written glowing recommendations for all his employees. It was the least he could do, for most of them anyway.

Unbeknownst to almost everyone, he'd brought the Toons to life not long ago. Given the price he had to pay, however, he had to make sure they were in good hands. He'd already entrusted Bendy to Henry, Boris to Wally, and the Butcher Gang to Shawn, Thomas, and Grant. Now it was Alice and Greta's turn.

"Susie? Could you and Allison drop by my office before you leave?"

(BATIM)

"You wanted to see me, Joey?"

Joey gave a nod. "A while ago, I managed something that most people would consider impossible. Unfortunately, it came at a cost--one that I have to pay soon. So, I came up with a contingency plan." He leaned down to look under the desk. "Come on out. She won't hurt you."

Hesitantly, Greta emerged from under the desk where she'd been hiding. Susie covered her mouth as she let out a gasp of surprise.

"Joey, is that...?"

Another nod. "I've already placed Bendy, Boris, Alice, and the Butcher Gang with a few others I can trust. Given how attached to her you've become, I feel you're the best possible guardian for Greta. Take good care of her, all right?"

"I will," Susie eagerly agreed, adjusting her purse before picking up the little witch. "I promise."


	4. Litha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What would happen if Greta was in various AUs? (1/2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HATIM AU (c) thelostmoongazer  
> Buddy Spinoff AU (c) upperstories  
> 2D Bendy AU (c) Shiny_Zango  
> Ink Henry AU (c) themarginalartist

Taking a deep breath, Greta approached Henry.

"Okay, you can do this," she said to herself. "Just don't get nervous. Don't panic. Take it easy." She raised her wand.

"Stabiler Körper!"

A small orb of light shot from the tip of her wand, hitting the inky man in the chest and causing his body to be surrounded by a white glow. Slowly, his melted parts began to reform, though they were still made of ink.

As the glow faded, Henry looked down at himself, flexing his fingers. Though he could tell that his entire body was composed of ink, he could also sense it was more stable now. Watching as his hand shifted between deep black and his old skin tone, he focused, and his fingers lengthened slightly, becoming sharp claws.

"Uh, that...wasn't what I meant to do..." Greta whimpered quietly, shuffling her feet.

"It's OK," Henry said comfortingly, returning his hand to normal. "You're trying to help, I know."

A thought struck him. "Do you think you could do that for Sammy, too?"

(BATIM)

"I know it's scary, but try to look on the bright side!" Greta said cheerfully. "There are lots of things Toons can do that humans can't. You probably just never tried them before."

Buddy looked up at her.

"I wasn't ever supposed to be a Toon at all," he said, his new voice sounding like a higher-pitched version of Bendy's. "I was turned into one."

"That shouldn't matter," replied Greta. "Bendy and I can teach you everything you need to know."

Even though Buddy was feeling relief that he so many of those he thought had become victims were actually safe, there was also a slowly growing feeling of excitement.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

(BATIM)

Finally, the long nightmare had reached its end. They had put a stop to Joey's insane plans, rescued the trapped Toons, and gotten Bendy a three-dimensional body. Now, they could leave this place of twisted dreams forever.

"It's kind of a shame we couldn't save anyone else," Greta said. "So what if the monsters were never human? That doesn't mean they needed to die, does it?"

"I know," Henry said, removing Greta's hat to ruffle her hair. "But what Joey did with his 'failures'"--here, he grimaced--"I can't imagine it being anything other than pure torment. No living creature should have to endure suffering like that, even without a soul."

"At least they're not suffering any more."

"Hey, enough doom and gloom," Bendy piped up. "Let's take Wally's advice and get outta here."

Boris chuckled. "I'd sure like to meet him, and everybody else too."

"Let's go, then."

Taking Bendy and Greta's hands, Henry strode out of the studio. Boris followed him, a slumbering Alice in his arms.

Only five minutes later, the small band was on the road, never to return to the studio.

(BATIM)

"Sammy, stop!"

At the sound of the high-pitched girl's voice, Sammy, Bendy, and Henry all turned towards the door. Greta ran out, coming to a stop between Sammy and Henry.

"Stand aside, Lady Greta," Sammy hissed. "I do not wish to harm you."

"He's not your enemy," Greta pleaded. "Neither is Bendy!"

"They oppose My Lord. That means I must oppose them." Sammy took a step forward. "Now stand aside."

Greta didn't move.

_There has to be something I can say to convince him_ , she thought. _But what?_

Then it came to her.

"In the Bible, there are many instances in which faith in God allowed men to overcome tremendous adversity. David defeated Goliath, Samson brought down the Philistines, Daniel survived the lion's den, the list goes on. What's more, God was proven stronger than several other deities--Baal, Dagon, and Moloch, to name a few."

"Your point?" Sammy inquired.

"My point," Greta explained. "Is that this could be similar. Let Henry and Bendy prove themselves. Let them determine whether or not Other Bendy is worthy of your devotion, or if he is another false deity."

Sammy considered this for a moment. Finally, he nodded.

"Very well. If you can prove my faith is misplaced, then I will aid you in any way I can. But if you are wrong..."

"Say no more." Henry nodded.

As it turned out, Sammy made the right decision in the end, for some time after, he attempted to sacrifice Allison, believing that by delivering the False Angel, he would earn his freedom. Instead, Other Bendy attacked, and would have killed him if Henry and Bendy hadn't saved him.

Needless to say, he quickly switched sides after that.


	5. Lammas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What would happen if Greta was in various AUs? (2/2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toon Henry AU (c) SquigglyDigg  
> Create AU (c) Star_Going_Supernova  
> Saudade AU (c) BornOfFire  
> 'Dreams Come True' AU -> ask-joeydrewstudios (Tumblr)

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Greta, please." The black and white cat in the witch's arms looked up at her, his pie-cut eyes briefly closing. "You just wanted to help. And you did."

"But I was trying to make you more human-y, like before Bendy squished you," whimpered Greta, slumping to the floor. "Why do so many of my spells go wrong?"

"Hey, at least he's not a crazy zealot anymore," Henry pointed out. "And he's not dead."

At that moment, the pot on the stove began emitting steam. Setting the inky prophet-turned-cartoon cat down, Greta strode over and poured hot soup into four separate bowls.

"Here. This should help you feel better."

Blowing on his soup to cool it, Henry then asked a question that had been on his mind since he and Boris had found Greta in the safehouse.

"Is there anyone else besides us? Anyone who doesn't want to hurt us, I mean."

"There's Alice, but I don't know where she is."

Greta frowned at this. "Y-you mean the Toon, right? Not the mean Alice who keeps accusing me of stealing Susie from her."

"That woman is the reason I stopped going to any floor below the music department," Sammy added, delicately lapping soup from his own bowl. "I shudder to imagine what would happen if the two ever came face to face."

(BATIM)

Sitting up in bed, her legs beneath the warm blanket, Greta peered out the window. Part of her still found it hard to believe that she and her friends had gotten out of the studio, away from Joey Drew and the monsters he'd made. At the same time, she was relieved to learn that the people she thought had been turned into said monsters were all alive and well. Hopefully, she'd get to see them someday.

For now, though, she had to adjust to the outside world. And there was so much to get used to--color, especially. The studio had all been black, white, and sepia, with not a color in sight. But outside, there were so many colors. In fact, the first time she saw a rainbow, she cried like she'd heard the most beautiful song in the world.

Henry had rented The Wizard of Oz the next day.

Smiling, she lay back, grabbing the stuffed dog Henry had given her. It was no small source of comfort, especially when she had nightmares about the Angel chasing after her, screaming in hatred. Even though the real Alice wasn't mad at her for 'taking her fame' and 'stealing Susie,' the insults and accusations still cut into her like knives.

But she didn't have to go back to that horrible place. Never ever.

"This is your home now," she whispered to herself. "Everything's going to be OK."

(BATIM)

"Lass die Dunkelheit diese Tinte verlassen! Nur Segnungen bleiben! Ich befehle dir...sei sauber!"

With a flash of light, glowing runes materialized upon the surface of the ink. As they did so, the screams of whatever dark spirits or demons were influencing the ink's magic echoed through the hallways as they were forced out.

Letting out the breath she'd been holding, Greta slumped to the floor in relief. Casting that spell wasn't easy, but it had worked. While the ink was still magical, it was no longer corruptive. It may have been too late to save the projector man, but at least no one else would suffer from negative effects. True, they wouldn't be completely unaffected, but whatever changes they underwent would all be positive. No one deserved to suffer for the sake of Joey's ambitions.

Hopefully, she'd be able to do something to help the Projectionist, too.

(BATIM)

It was sudden--a faint humming sound, the faint smells of blood and smoke, and she simply was.

Blinking in confusion, the small Toon opened her eyes. Above her stood two other Toons, a demon with a little white bowtie, and an angel with small horns.

"Where...where am I?" she asked. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bendy!" the demon answered cheerfully. "This is Alice."

"And you are Greta," said Joey, entering the room with Boris, Henry, and Susie in tow. "Greta the Witch."

A look of confusion briefly passed over Greta's face, before she brightened. Yes, that was right.

"What I don't understand," Alice remarked. "Is how she can have a voice. We didn't pick a voice actress for her yet, did we?"

"Come to think of it, Sammy was practicing with Allison yesterday," mused Susie.

"You mean the intern you recommended?" asked Joey in surprise. "I was going to suggest that she could be a voice actress, possibly even an understudy for whenever you needed a break."

"And they sound a lot alike," Boris added.

"Guess that settles it," Henry said. "Looks like Allison Pendle is officially the voice of Greta the Witch."

"Oh, she's going to be really excited to meet you."

Blushing furiously, Greta gave a shy smile.


	6. Mabon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time after leaving the studio, Greta meets the crew.

As Henry pulled the car up to the Flynn house, Greta fiddled nervously with her wand. She'd heard that Susie had gotten married to the toymaker, much to Sammy's surprise. The former music director wasn't accompanying them, mostly because he had volunteered to take Allison to a therapy session.

"Nervous?" asked Bendy, glancing over at her.

Greta nodded. "Susie was my voice actress--maybe not my original one, but she and I are closer than my first one."

"Kind of like a stronger version of my bond to her," Alice summarized. "I can see why you'd be nervous. But I strongly doubt she's going to be anything like Allison."

"Especially since she didn't get thrown into the machine like Pendle," Bendy agreed, undoing his seatbelt.

Unlocking the car doors, Henry helped the demon, angel, and witch out. Boris would have helped, but he had his hands full with the lasagna Henry had made for the potluck, and Charley and Barley were helping a mildly carsick Edgar (the ride over had been rather bumpy).

As they made this way to the front door, it opened, and out stepped Susie.

"Henry!" she said happily. "It's so good to see you! Are those the Toons?"

"Likewise, and yes," the animator said. "I trust you already heard from Allison about what happened at the studio?"

Susie sighed. "Yes, I did. I feel terrible about what happened to her. Thank God you put a stop to Joey's plans before he could get anyone else."

"More than once, I thought he'd gotten Sammy and Norman," Henry admitted. "But then I remembered Norman moved back to his hometown, and Sammy's been at Joyworks for years."

"Well, I think that's everyone. Come on in!"

Taking Greta's hand, Susie led her inside, Henry and the other Toons following.

"Everyone else is in the TV room, aside from Grant. He's getting things set up in the kitchen."

As Henry and Boris went to deliver the lasagna, Greta accompanied Susie into the TV room, where Wally, Thomas, and Shawn were watching a football game on TV.

"Oh, hey Greta."

Shawn and Thomas looked up, the toymaker giving a laugh.

"Franks was tellin' the truth! Looks like you owe me five dollars, Tommy boy!"

"You're gonna have to wait 'til the commercials," the mechanic grunted. "But yeah, I guess he was. Even though I heard about what happened--throw the ball, you jackass!"

Greta started, before realizing Thomas was yelling at the TV.

"It's OK," Susie said comfortingly, letting the witch climb onto her lap. "You'll get used to this. After all, life outside the studio is a lot better, isn't it?"

Greta smiled. "Yes. Yes it is."


End file.
